Charging apparatus for blast-furnaces



(N Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

E. WALSH, Jr v CHARGING APPARATUS FOR BLAST FURNACES. No. 401,394. Patented Apr. 16, 1889 (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

E. WALSH, Jr. CHARGING APPARATUS FOR BLAST FURNACES.

No. 401,394. Patented Apr. 16, 1889.:

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UNITED STATES PATENT *TQYFFICE.

EDWARD VALSH, JR, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

CHARGING APPARATUS FOR BLAST-FURNACES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 401,394, dated April 16, 1889.

Application filed May 26, 1888- Serial No. 275,206- (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDVVABD WALSH, Jr, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Charging Apparatus for Blast-Furnaces, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improved apparatus for charging blast-furnaces, and has for its object to insure a constant charge of materials to the furnace at the stock-line to eifect the raising of the bell in a direct vertical line by compressed air from the blowing-engines or other motive fluid, instead of by levers and chains, and to notify the operator when a fresh supply of materials is required above the stock-line for charging the furnace.

My invention consists in a combined hopper and magazine or chamber arranged vertically above the stock-line of the furnace for containing a series of charges of the materials,

which are supplied from an upper box or hopper inserted within the mouth of the magazine or chamber, the opening into the latter from the supply box or hopper being opened or closed, as required, by the bell, which is counterbalanced by weights and carried centrally by a rod extending upward through a hollow piston-rod, to which it is adj ustably se cured by keys. The hollow piston-rod is attached to a piston fitted in a cylinder, to which the motive fluid is admitted, the Whole being supported above the furnace by columns and girders, and operated so that on admitting the motive fluid to the cylinder above the piston the bell is thereby lowered and opens the supply box or hopper, so as to allow the materials to pass therefrom into the magazine or chamber, and on admitting the motive fluid below the piston the bell is thereby raised and closes the supply box or hopper, so as to pre vent the escape of gases from the contents of the magazine or chamber.

During the descent or charging of the ma terials from the magazine or chamber into the furnace at the stock-line the pressure thereby induced depresses a lever having an armature, which is thereby held out of contact with in adjacent electric battery; but on. the sinking of the materials below the level of the lever the latter becomes free, and its armature beand causes a bell or gong to be sounded as a signal to the operator that a fresh supply of materials is required. When it is required to raise'the bell for removal from the apparatus, it is first lifted vertically for a distance corresponding with the stroke of the piston, when the keys by which the rodcarrying the bell is secured to the hollow piston-rod are removed, and the bell being supported by the counter-balance the piston can be lowered, the keys again inserted into corresponding lower keyways in the bell-rod, and a second lift made, and so on, step by step, until the bell is sufficiently high to be moved to one side clear of the supply box or hopper.

On the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a sectional elevation of my im proved charging apparatus applied to a blastfurnace above the stock-line, partly broken away; Fig. 2, a plan thereof; and Fig. 3, a detached longitudinal sectional view through the cylinder and piston-rod seen in Fig. 1, drawn to an enlarged scale.

Like letters of reference denote like parts in all the figures.

(0 represents the hopper, through which the materials are charged into the furnace through the shaft 1) at the stock-line. Combined, and in vertical line with the hopper a, is a conical or cylindrical magazine or chamber, 0, of sufficient capacityto contain a supply of several charges of the materials to the furnace. \Vithin the upper open end or mouth of the magazine or chamber 0 is inserted a hopperframe, d, of suitable depth and flanged internally at its lower end for supporting a conical-shaped annular ring or collar, 6, having a central supply opening which is closed or opened circumferentially to the magazine or chamber 0 by the bell f, which projects centrally upward into the box or hopper d e, as hereinafter more particularly described.

To the top of the bell fare secured chains g, which pass upward over pulleys h, and carry at their other ends weights 6 for counterbalancing the bell f.

To the top of the bell f is centrally attached the lower end of a rod, j, which extends vertically upward through a hollow pistonrod, 7c, fixed to a piston, Z, (seen more particularly in Fig. 3,) which is capable of reciprocation Within the cylinder m. The suspension-rod j of the bell f is normally secured to the pistonrod 70 by keys n, keyways n for which are formed in the rod j at distances apart corresponding with the stroke of the piston Z.

The motive fluid is admitted to the cylinder m above or below the piston l, as required, by means of a three-way cock, 0,worked by pulley p and endless rope g from any convenient position adjacent to the furnace, or the admission of motive fluid to the cylinder 'm may be regulated in any other suitable manner, as found most convenient.

For carrying the entire apparatus the up per end of the magazine or chamber a is supported by the ring-casting 1', carried by the columns 3, which rest on the top of the furnace-shaft b. On the ring r are uprights t, connected together at the top by girders it, which support the bearings of the pulleys h, counterbalance-weights 2', and cylinder m,with its appendages. Beneath the girders u are rollers 11, for guiding the suspension-rod j of the bell f.

For charging the furnace the motive fluid is admitted to the cylinder m above the piston Z, which is thereby forced to the bottom of the cylinder m and lowers the bell f, so as to unclose the supply-opening through the bottom of the box or hopper d e and open communication between the latter and the magazine or chamber 0. The materials are then dumped in regular charges through the box or hopper d e into the furnace and magazine or chamber 0 until the latter is filled to the desired level, when the motive fluid is exhausted from above and admitted below the piston l, which is thereby forced to the top of the cylinder m and raises the bell f, so as to close the supply-opening in the bottom of the box or hopper d e, and thereby prevent the subsequent escape of the gases of combustion from the magazine or chamber a.

I claim 1. The combination, with a blast-furnace, of a feed-bell provided with a suspension-rod having key-slots, and a cylinder arranged over the feed-bell and having a tubular piston-rod through which the suspension-rod of the bell passes, substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. The combination, with a blast-furnace, of a feed-bell provided with a suspension-rod having key-slots, a cylinder arranged over the feed-bell, having a tubular piston-rod through which the suspension-rod of the bell passes, and counter-Weights connected directly to the bell, substantially as and for the purposes described.

3. The combination, with a blast-furnace, of a feed-bell provided with a suspension-rod having key-slots, a cylinder arranged over the feed-bell and having a tubular piston-rod through which the suspension-rod of the bell passes, and guide-rollers for preserving the relation of the bell and hollow piston-rod, substantially as and for the purposes described.

4. The combination, with a blast-furnace, of a feed-bell provided with a suspension-rod having key-slots, a cylinder arranged over the bell and having a tubular piston-rod through which the suspension-rod of the bell passes, counter-weights connected directly to the bell on opposite sides of the stem, and guide-rollers for preserving the relation of the bell and hollow piston-rod, substantially as and for the purposes described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature, in presence of two witnesses, this 21st day of May, 1888.

EDWVARD WALSH, JR.

Witnesses:

S. L. SCHRADER, PAUL BAKEWELL. 

